Water cannons & mounted officers: Unauthorized anti-lockdown rally in Amsterdam invokes strong police response

Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters took to the streets of Amsterdam, decrying restrictive measures against the coronavirus. The unauthorized gathering was met with a strong riot police force.

The anti-lockdown protesters gathered in the center of the Netherlands capital on Sunday, despite failing to get authorization for the rally from the authorities.

The protesters, who largely lacked face masks and did not exactly observe social distancing rules, decried the restrictive coronavirus measures, carrying banners reading “Freedom: stop this siege” and chanting such slogans as “What do we want? Freedom!” While the Netherlands was initially slower than some countries to respond to the pandemic, it turned to harsher restrictions in December as Covid-19 cases mounted.

The gathering was met with a strong law enforcement presence, including police officers in full riot gear and mounted units. Police demanded the protesters disperse, but the crowd failed to comply, with some protesters launching fireworks.

https://www.rt.com/news/512802-anti-lockdown-protest-amsterdam/

Massive caravan of Honduran migrants fights Guatemalan troops on journey to US border

Hundreds of migrants from Honduras have clashed with Guatemala’s stick-wielding soldiers after a large caravan breached the country’s border en route to the US.

Video from the scene shows migrants desperately attempting to push through a thick formation of soldiers blocking a road near the village of Vado Hondo in eastern Guatemala. A large group manages to break through the ranks, however, stick-wielding soldiers quickly intercept the majority of them and beat them back.

Three groups of around 3,000 people each managed to cross the Guatemalan border from Honduras on Friday night and Saturday, pushing through police lines and border guards. They then formed a caravan, hoping to cross into Mexico and reach the US border.

Most of the migrants entered without showing a negative Covid-19 test, which Guatemalan authorities require.

https://www.rt.com/news/512816-guatemala-migrant-caravan-clashes/

UK hopes to begin easing Covid-19 lockdown by March, foreign minister says

The UK government hopes it will be able to consider easing anti-coronavirus restrictions by March, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab has said. The lockdown will not be lifted “in one big bang,” however, but will be eased gradually.

“What we want to do is get out of this national lockdown as soon as possible,” Raab told Sky News on Sunday.

By early spring, hopefully by March, we'll be in a position to make those decisions. I think it's right to say we won't do it all in one big bang. As we phase out the national lockdown, I think we'll end up phasing through a tiered approach.

The UK went into a deeper, nationwide lockdown on January 5, shutting down most non-essential businesses and schools, as well as promoting a working-from-home approach. Britain is also set to close all of its remaining international travel corridors from Monday until at least February 15, in an attempt to stop new coronavirus variants coming from abroad. Multiple nations have recently halted travel to the UK due to a new, more contagious strain of the virus detected there.

The country is among the worst coronavirus-affected nations in the world with more than 3.3 million cases registered. It also has the highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe, hovering just below the 90,000 mark.

https://www.rt.com/uk/512779-raab-lockdown-lifting-march/